Incaredible! Peruvian is fast becoming one of the UK’s hottest trends. Laura Price meets the man behind the marinade

artin Morales is teaching restaurant in Soho, central London. One Peruvian restaurants won seven of the a bar full of people woman has been to and is enamoured top 15 spots in Restaurant magazine’s list how to make ceviche. with the local ; another is going of ‘Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants’, He meticulously slices there on honeymoon; others simply love and world-renowned brothers Ferran fresh, raw sea bass into the restaurant’s namesake raw dish and Albert Adrià recently opened a new uniform chunks that he and want to learn how to make it at home. Peruvian-Japanese restaurant called Pakta will later cover in a tangy Flash back only 10 years and most of Mlime and chilli marinade. The dish must be these people wouldn’t even have heard of the Andes so hot right now? ceviche, let alone eaten it. But the dish has in “LatinBarcelona. American So why food exactly is bang is the on foodtrend,” of “cook” for too long in the marinade, ruining says William Drew, editor of Restaurant. served immediately – if not, the fish will chef Jonathan Moore recently dubbed it “Peru in particular has a long and rich Morales’ pupils all have their own become“the new so sushi” popular and that predicted Waitrose a executiveboom in culinary heritage, but only in recent times thereasons delicate for flavourattending and the texture. class at Ceviche South . when its economy has grown and it has had

Ande cooks too: Peruvian chef Martin Morales making ceviche X CITY HUNGER life Martin’s top five ingredients Amarillo chilli “The amarillo chilli is native to Peru and “Pisco is our Peruvian spirit made from pure use it in ceviche and also cook and grape juice, which is hasmarinate tons lots of flavour of different and meats aroma. with You it.” can distilled naturally and rested. We infuse it with Quinoa burger at Andina Don Ceviche with amarillo chilli at Ceviche a range of ingredients: Quinoa some Peruvian, some British, such as , “Quinoa was sacred to the Incas; it’s been coffee, amarillo chillies, grown in Peru for the last 5,000 years. It’s or cinnamon.” a complete protein, there’s no fat, it’s great at Ceviche for coeliacs, and it has tons of nutrients: vitamin B, D and E, zinc, magnesium, and Choclo corn iron. I love it because it’s super versatile. Our quinoa burgers are really popular.” “Choclo is a giant kernel corn from the

and tasty. It holds a lot of history for us.” Lúcuma deep Andes. It’s veryChoclo nutritious, corn cake at filling, Andina “It’s a superfood, like quinoa. Lúcuma is very special; very, very tasty. It comes from the lúcuma , which is grown in the foothills of the Andes going into the Amazon. We make a lúcuma mousse

Lúcuma mousse at Andina Lúcuma mousse at as well as a lúcuma puree that we use in savoury dishes.”

more interaction with the wider world has Morales serves it in burger form at his new “We will gradually understand that it’s restaurant Andina, and says it is great for about more than just ceviche,” says William coeliacs, who need a gluten-free diet. Drew. “I certainly see lots of Peruvian it exported its food to a wider audience.” But quinoa is just one of eight key food in the supermarkets, as well as more AndeanMorales food says so special. that it’s After the the mixture age of the of superfoods in Peru. Another is maca, a Peruvian restaurants.” different flavours and influences that makes starch usually sold in powder form and With a budding food empire to rival from the Spanish conquistadores to the used in smoothies or . It provides Jamie Oliver’s, Morales has built a name Incas,Japanese, Peru Chinese, saw an Italians, influx of and immigrants, Africans an instant burst of energy and can even be for himself with a recipe book, Ceviche: who came later on. used as an aphrodisiac. Peruvian ; a pop-up cookery tour; All this contributed to a culture of These ingredients are cropping up more and an appearance on celebrity sub-, such as Nikkei (Japanese- and more in restaurants and health food show Saturday Kitchen. Peruvian) and (Chinese-Peruvian). shops around the UK, partly thanks to He even started a record label, Tiger’s Add to that the country’s wide-ranging Morales, who decided to ditch his high- Milk Records, named after the marinade geographical microclimates and vast used in ceviche. Last year’s pop-up tour selection of natural ingredients, and you encompassed 10 cities in England, Scotland have a winning combination. flying DJ career in 2010 and turn his talents and Wales and was a sell-out success. “All the world’s top chefs are travelling to “It was really, really well received,” he Peru right now, whether it’s René Redzepi All the world’s top says. “No one has ever served Peruvian food from Noma or Ferran Adrià,” says Morales in north of Manchester before. We had a lot of an English accent perfectly honed after 30 chefs are travelling to people from Belfast saying we should have gone there as well. It just proves this is not a Peru right now fad, it’s not only a London trend.” years in the country. “It’s just the first step. So what does the future hold for Andean AllApart kinds from of chefs ceviche, are experimentingperhaps the most with food in the UK? Morales is working on a Peruvian , which is really exciting.” to cooking. Frustrated with the lack of range of ideas to combine his food with has been quinoa (pronounced ‘keenwah’), Peruvian restaurants in Britain, he tweeted: other arts, such as theatre, photography, populara superfood Andean now used export in ineverything recent yearsfrom “Does anyone care about Peruvian food?” salads to . As it turned out, plenty of people did. His restaurant at some point. Marks & Spencer has launched a and film, and he hasn’t ruled out another containing quinoa, and celebrities are pricier rival in Fitzrovia, while Andina hailing it as one of the ultimate health foods. firstopened restaurant in Shoreditch Ceviche to greatpaved reviews. the way for PeruvianWe may food have is here to waitto stay. a while to find Images: Images: Paul Winch-Furness out what’s next, but one thing is for sure: “ 63 London’s best Peruvian food

Coya Ceviche at Coya 118 Piccadilly, Mayfair W1J 7NW 020 7042 7118

With an incredibly grand interior decorated in Inca style, Coya is the best place to go to feel like you really are dining in Peru. Watch the chefs at work in the open kitchen and be sure to sample the Pisco Sour cocktail.

Tr y: Solomillo de res (spicy fillet, spring onions, aji rocoto, and star anise, £32)

Octopus Olivo at Lima Lima 31 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia W1T 1JH 020 3002 2640

Upmarket Lima is the brainchild of Virgilio Martinez, head chef at Central in the Peruvian capital, which was ranked fourth in Salmon at Coya Restaurant’s list of ‘Latin America’s 50 Best Andina Lima Floral Restaurants’ last year. 1 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch E2 7DJ 14 Garrick Street WC2E 9BJ 020 7920 6499 Open from July 2014 Tr y: Octopus Olivo (braised octopus with organic white quinoa and botija olive, £14) Morales’ latest Shoreditch offering is based After the success of Lima – the first Peruvian on Peruvian picanterias: all-day restaurants restaurant in Europe to be awarded a serving traditional Andean foods such Michelin star – chef Virgilio Martinez and his as cakes and soups. It is open for partners, Gabriel and Jose Luis Gonzalez, are and serves rejuvenating smoothies opening a second site in Covent Garden. and superfood porridge. The menu at Lima Floral is set to include favourites from Lima, plus new dishes with Tr y: Cheeky ceviche (thinly sliced hake and rare Peruvian ingredients. Keep an eye out cod cheeks in a Nikkei-style tiger’s milk with for the scallops with chia ceviche. X blood orange and spring onion, £8.50) Upstairs at Andina, Shoreditch

Smoothies at Andina Ceviche 17 Frith Street, Soho W1D 4RG 020 7292 2040

Ceviche is Martin Morales’ first food venture, specialising in its namesake dish of marinated raw fish. Morales also runs cookery masterclasses on the last Sunday of each month around the bar of his restaurant.

Tr y: Don Ceviche (fresh sea bass ceviche in amarillo chilli-infused tiger’s milk, limo chilli, sweet potato, and red onions, £8) Images: Lima, Coya, Andina Coya, Lima, Images:

64